Economic Evaluation of Intergenerational Programs: Suggested Measures and Design

Abstract

Multiple aspects of intergenerational programs present challenges for evaluators. Broader measures and perspectives are needed particularly with respect to informing economic evaluations of intergenerational programs. The study aims to: (1) Identify impact measures suitable for an economic evaluation of a mixed generation program; (2) Design an economic evaluation that compares these program impacts with current services. The suggested evaluation design includes perspectives from children, parents, adult care recipients, caregivers and service providers. Measures for inclusion were based on the literature and selected using a set of criteria and stakeholder interviews. To inform economic evaluations of mixed generation programs we recommend a quasi-experimental design using measures of experience/satisfaction, quality of life/wellbeing, willingness to pay, burden of care and service utilization. The suggested economic evaluation measures and design will guide future programs of mixed generations in the pursuit of cost effective and sustainable service options in this rapidly evolving service environment.

A pilot study of an intergenerational program for people in residential aged care with cognitive impairment and children from a co-located early learning centre during COVID-19

“…Future research may evaluate the use of occupational therapy students to develop a more sustainable model, using learnings from the present study. In addition, there is a need to conduct comprehensive economic evaluations ( Vecchio et al, 2021 ), and evidence of longer-term benefits to participants and the community should be further explored ( Lee et al, 2020 ).…”

Uniting generations: A research protocol examining the impacts of an intergenerational learning program on participants and organisations

“…The surveys included a range of measures covering demographics, health and well-being, service use and service satisfaction. 20 Pre-and postsurveys were self-administered by hard copy and completed by intervention and control cohorts at the same time points. The workforce surveys include demographics and the Worker Job Stress Inventory.…”

“…Cost information was sourced from participating organisations to assess the costs of implementing an ILP compared with their usual program. The cost information, along with primary outcome measures, was used to perform a cost‐consequence analysis …”

Architectural typology of intergenerational shared sites

“…Medicine, gerontology, geriatrics study the impact of interactions between different age groups on their well-being and health [2]. An economic assessment of the implementation of intergenerational programs is given in economic researches [3][4][5]. Sociologists determine the impact of intergenerational relations on society and social values [6,7].…”